St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-12-25

Begging your pardon for what some
of YOU may consider an infliction, and
urging as my excuse the fact that the
lines, however faulty, are aprOpoS of
the story / am about TO relate, will
proceed with my tale. 1t was more than
twenty-five years ago that Mr.. X,
whom many of you know we'll by name,
If not personally, and whose name scores
of poor people in st. Paul have cause to
bless every year. was poor bOOtblack
and newsboy in Boston. He had been
kicked out into the streets by drunken
father when only nine years old, and
was told to shift for himself. With
alleywayS for his bed and scanty
lunches picked up here and there for
food. he led a precarious existence.
With companion of his own age he
sold papers, and with the infrequent
pennies that came to them they man
aged to keep soul and body together
in an incOmprehenSible way. Each
was as ignorant of an everything PrOvi-
dence as he was of the theoremS of Euc-
lid. But one Christmas eve, attracted
by the lights of a church in which
celebration was being held. and know
ing it as place In which on occasion
each had sought shelter when half
frozen by the chill New England winds,
they stole into the basement. Presently
the Tom Of the poem. and who is now a
citizen of st. Paul, detected smell of
smoke. Searching about, he found that
an ante-rOom, crowded full of dry ever
greens, had. by some unaccountable
means, caught fire. There was only time
to hurry his partner up STAIRS to inform
the officers OF the meeting of the danger
in which several hundred people were
placed, while Tom did his best to put
out the flames. HOrror-struck by the
terrible news brought them, the man
ayers quietly dismissed the meeting and
then hurried down to the basement,
dense with smoke.
The incipient fire was found to be
stamped ont, but Tom x lay on
the threshold of the door inSenSible
from inhaling the smoke, and with his
arms and legs burnt into bliSters. The
little hero had saved the lives of many
people, but in doing so had almost lost
his own. Tenderly cared for by the
officers of the meeting, Tom in time re-
covered. Then fund was subscribed
to send the two boys to school. A
wealthy member of the church took Il
fancy TO Ton and sent him through col
lege. and, dying soon after, left him
enough money on which to come West
and start in business for himself. That
was some fifteen years ago, and ever
since Mr.. X has been a
resident of St. Paul. Good 70 T
tune las been his, and he
has accumulated wealth of lao small
proportions Knowing 10y sad expert
ences the sufferings of the poor, he is
one of their greatest benefactors, and
every Christmas he unostenfatiously
distributes among the unfortunates a
sum that brings happiness to many
homes. Naturally, he is a great friend
of the boetblackS and newSboyS, and
perhaps score of them he has aided in
getting a start in life. As near as any
one could he deserves the description of
"a perfect Christian gentleman" and he
would well have served as the prototype
of one of the Cheeryble Brothers had
DICKENS known him. His partner OF
the boetblacking days is now prolni-
nent lawyer la New York so despite thu.
rough times they experienced In their
early youth. neither has had ode IL
realize the good things which are to be
found III this life, and each has had
many an opportunity, we'll taken advan-
tage OF, 10 teach others what they once
50 imperfec1ly knew, the true spirit and
meaning of i.r'stmaS day.
| wish ecu -. without violating coll
fdence, tell you their names.
The WHIsrEREs.